


My Return

by Storm__Warning



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Multi, Ouran High School Host Club - Freeform, Post-Series, Self-Reflection, Spoilers, kyoya ootori - Freeform, ohshc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 12:18:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14694087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storm__Warning/pseuds/Storm__Warning
Summary: Kyoya returns from Boston after the Host Club's year abroad and considers his future.





	My Return

**Author's Note:**

> While the manga's special chapters address what did actually happen, I thought it would be cool to write an in-between piece, something that shows his thought process before that stuff happened, and maybe a small inkling as to how he came to that decision - although it contains no special-chapter spoilers, he doesn't come to his final decisions in this story. Definitely some end-of manga spoilers though, so stop reading right now if you're not ready to know how the last chapter ends.

I was glad to finally be home.

At first I thought I’d go home for the holidays, maybe even long weekends, like the other guys and Haruhi had occasionally, but I’d quickly realised that I didn’t want to, and it was better for me not to. Being an Ootori was so much pressure. It had defined me, and everything I did. But in America, I wasn’t Kyoya Ootori, the third son of a massive conglomerate, I was just Kyoya, the exchange student. A guy I actually liked. My friendships were genuine, not future business associates. No one cared what I could do for them, or how much money I had. I was just me. It was hard at first, not having the power I’d been so used to using, but eventually I relished the freedom of anonymity. The freedom to be myself. Now I’m back, and I’ve changed so much. My friends were a huge part of that.

I lay down on my bed and think about my friends. We still called ourselves “the Host Club” even though it no longer existed. Tamaki is no longer our King, but he is still my best friend, my family. He is closer than even my real brothers, they had always just been benchmarks on the wall, something to aspire to, more so than actual family members. I’ve always loved Tamaki. Well, since I learned not to hate him. At first I was completely infatuated, it was hard not to be. He was the first guy I’d ever had feelings for, and being Tamaki, he’d jumped at the chance to love someone. We quickly realised that our love was purely platonic, and I thanked the heavens we’d had the sense to keep it quiet. My father would have hit the goddamn roof, I’d have been pulled from Ouran, and we’d have never started the Host Club. Our relationship and subsequent realisation had made us the absolute closest of friends. Damn he’s a good kisser though, Haruhi is as lucky as it gets.

Haruhi – now that was a girl you could marry. I’d fallen for her too, hook, line and sinker, but she was never mine to have. Her and Tamaki were made for each other, any idiot could see that. She was his polar opposite, and they made each other shine in ways that no-one else could. I was glad they’d finally woken up to the fact, and that everyone else had let them get together. I think all of us had at the very least the slightest of crushes on Haruhi. It’s hard not to fall in love with a girl who’s as special as she is. Smart, beautiful and charismatic? It’s the perfect combination, and I can’t help but compare everyone to her now. She’s my new benchmark, both for myself and those I date. Our one moment, that one time I had her so alone and vulnerable, has defined the rest of my life. That goodness she saw in me, I try my hardest to live up to it every day. She still invades my dreams sometimes, that smile of hers as she lay beneath me in the dark on crumpled sheets. Damn.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. Good thing too. Dinner was ready, the woman at the door told me. I didn’t recognise her, she must be new. No surprise, without me here, the staff would have taken the brunt of my father’s often harsh temperament. I’d probably be meeting a few new staff over the coming days.

“I’ll be down in a second, Just need to freshen up.” In the ensuite, I washed my face with cold water and fixed my hair. I haven’t seen most of my family in a year. They’ve all gathered to welcome me home, a true Ootori family dinner. I’ve changed so much, I wonder what they’ll think of the new third Ootori son. Not that it matters any more, I’m a businessman in my own right, and have my choice of colleges here in Japan when I start classes again next semester. I can finally relax in this house, I have no legitimate concerns here, I tell my reflection. I brushed off my clothes, and headed down to dinner. This was going to be fine, and I would be fine. I’m a grown man, I’m a smart man and I’m a good man. At least I’m trying to be.

***

Back in my room after dinner, I can relax again. I’d forgotten how draining family dinners were. Between my father and sister’s interrogations, and the condescending snipes from my brothers, Ootori family dinners were a place to keep your wits about you. I’d come out alive, though. My father and brothers seemed impressed with my portfolio, although my lack of a decision regarding the remainder of my schooling didn’t sit well with my father. Personally though, I felt freer than I’d felt in years. This was one thing I’d learnt in America – spontaneity. Not everything had to be planned years in advance. The whole year abroad had been so last minute, and while I’d worked out the skeletal details of my return, the whole thing had pretty much been me flying by the seat of my pants. It was a welcome change, I felt like my own person for the first time in my life. My sister was ecstatic. She’d always adored Tamaki’s impulsiveness, and I fear she thought I’d become just like him. Not quite, my darling sister!

The twins had been the ones to suggest going to America after Tamaki declared that he was going with Haruhi. We knew Haruhi would need the support, or Tamaki would smother her and their relationship would be over before it began. They might have realised their feelings, but Tamaki was still a long way from being ready to maintain a relationship in those conditions, and neither was Haruhi – she’d never even had a real relationship before. Kaoru and Hikaru had realised that their feelings for Haruhi were never going to be realised, but they still wanted her to be happy. It was a huge step for them. They grew up immensely during the last year, and while Hikaru had gone a bit wild at first during their time overseas, playing playboy designer and dating models left and right in an attempt to get over Haruhi, he came around eventually, and he had met a girl back in Japan. He’d moved back as soon as his classes finished, wanting to spend a couple of weeks with her before the others returned.

Kaoru had taken a more adult approach, right from the get go. He concentrated on classes, recognising that if their label was to succeed, he’d not only need design skills but marketing experience too. Our brief relationship had been perfect while it lasted. We were great as a couple, but realistically, we were just too similar. We’d both fallen for Haruhi, and we’d both conceded for the sake of someone we also loved. We both had trouble putting ourselves first, and in being together we were both settling for someone we already had a close relationship with, rather than taking a risk. Again, I'm glad we’d decided on keeping it quiet. Hikaru was the only one in the host club that knew about us, and I trusted him not to say anything. I hadn’t even told Tamaki – he’d grown up plenty, but anything to do with love and the guy still went totally postal. Kaoru was still a good friend, and we talked often. I was surprised when he kissed me out of the blue. I’d always assumed he was as straight as Hikaru, just playing a game for the club’s sake. For a host club, there were only 4 of us hosts that were actually straight, and one had been secretly a girl. I laughed. High school had been more bizarre for us than for most.

Back to school. That was going to be interesting. Which college would I go to? I wasn’t completely honest with myself, I had planned to some degree, and whittled it down to two options, but had decided against making a final decision before returning to Japan. I know, I’m planning to make plans, which is almost as bad as just planning it out anyway, but I’m a work in progress. This was a compromise. A plan with room for spontaneity, but still a plan. I had to choose soon though, this was important.

My first option was to follow my brothers into medical school, as I had originally planned, and become a doctor as well. That was where my father expected me to go, to become a doctor with a sharp business sense, and work under or with my brothers to expand the ‘Ootori Empire’. It would be an easy life, the life of a third son. But I’m more than that, better than that. I could always go to medical school and then branch off on my own, but could I break off family ties? Going out on my own would constitute competition, and I’d probably be excluded from my family. I have more than enough business sense to compete with my brothers, but I don’t know if I want to exclude myself from my family. If I go to medical school, I would go as the third Ootori son. Maybe later there would be room to complete my business degree, (I’d studied business in America) but it would have to wait.

The best business school was where Mori and Honey were returning. I was very much tempted to forget the medical field and just complete my business degree. I could spend more time with two of my favourite people, and my brothers would most likely end up working for me in the long run. I’d be head of the Ootori empire, but I wasn’t sure if that was what I wanted anymore. Did I want to rule over my family? Then I realised something. If my businesses stayed out of the family’s direct line of competition, like my stock portfolio did now, I could get away with merely being an asset to the Ootori family, and have no direct ties to it. I could be free to do as I wish, so long as I kept my business dealings favourable. That was an option I hadn’t thought of before, continuing as I already had been – it had always seemed such a temporary solution, but it had worked so far, hadn’t it? I made a mental note to speak to Mori about it. He was always a good voice of reason, and I respected his opinion in business matters. He and I had interests in many of the same companies, and although he took less risks, we were of a similar business acumen. I valued him very much as a friend, someone I could trust. I sent off an email, suggesting that we meet for drinks sometime next week. I wasn’t sure if he had changed his number since returning to Japan, an email was my surest bet.

As I returned to bed from my desk I realised that I’d thought about most of my friends today, even though I’d returned home to my family. I hadn’t schemed or planned (aside from some school considerations, and strategising the family dinner as I descended the stairs – a mere few minutes) this evening. The one friend I hadn’t considered very much was Honey, but he’d have probably been the proudest of my accomplishments tonight. I’d returned to the family home, and slotted back in as myself. As my own person, not necessarily the son they wanted me to be. Many times over the course of the last year I’d confided in Huni my fears regarding my family, especially after considering the option to change my life’s path away from being the third Ootori son, away from being a cog in my father’s machine. He himself had broken the family mould, and they were slowly beginning to accept him for who he was. He himself was even learning to be more accepting of his true self. He wasn’t the fearsome Huninozuka clan leader, but he wasn’t the always adorable Lolita Huni either. He was both, and he was neither. He was some place in between, a sweet young man of slightly shorter stature (he’d started to grow up physically in the last year as well at long last) who was a firm hand when he needed to be. He’d be a fine leader some day, kind but sure. I wanted so much to find my niche like he had. Hopefully soon. I just need to figure it out one step at a time. No jumping ahead, missing out on the smaller details that make like great, because they don’t fit with the plan.

Some of the best things in life hadn’t fit the plan I had at the beginning, the plan of the third son. The biggest of all being the host club, and look where that had taken me. No, I didn’t need a grand plan, just a little outline to keep me moving forward, no matter which path I decided to take in the future. I was going to be fine. After all, I had my friends to keep me going, true friends that love me for who I am, not for who I’m going to be, whoever that happens to be going forward. As I drifted off to sleep, I heard my phone vibrate abruptly on the desk. Who could that be? Probably a reply from Mori, or Huni checking in – he knew it was my first night back. Or it could have been Tamaki or Haruhi, they were flying home tonight, they would probably have touched down by now. Or it could be the twins, they might have wanted to go out tonight to cheer me up if the dinner hadn’t gone well. No matter, I will check it in the morning. Right now, I can rest. Life is perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic ever, so be gentle, okay?! Constructive stuff is fine, I'm more than happy to learn!


End file.
